Talk on Qutb Tombs restoration

Aga Khan Trust for Culture will be conducting a dialogue on restoration of Qutb Shahi Tombs at Lamakaan, on April 26.

Heritage restoration is often a topic of heartbreak in Hyderabad. However, if there has been any visible change on that front, it is at the Qutb Shahi tombs, the royal necropolis where the Golconda kings and founders of Hyderabad were laid to rest. The ongoing work in the complex has been a much-needed respite from the usual apathy that Hyderabadis witness with regard to the city's heritage.

Undertaken by the Telangana Department of Archaeology and Museums and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) some years ago, the work at the Qutb Shahi tombs has brought about visible (and much needed) change and stability to the heritage monuments, some of which were in a precarious situation. Using archival imagines and artisans who were specifically brought to Hyderabad for this work, the structures have been revived by expert conservation architects. So how did they undertake this monumental task?

To understand that, and to throw light on the extensive work that has been taken up, we bring to you talk by the very person in charge of it all – Ratish Nanda, the CEO of the AKTC. Nanda, who has been with the AKTC for two decades, is also the man behind the restoration of (Mughal emperor) Babur's tomb in Afghanistan. The AKTC has also taken up other major restoration works in the country like the Humayun's tomb and the Sunder nursery in New Delhi.

What: Talk on monuments restoration

Where: Lamakaan

When: April 26

Time: 7.30 pm